Sea Turtle Populations Plummet Due To Plastic Pollution

(OCEANS/ANIMAL SCIENCE) Scientists have found that 50 percent of all sea turtles are ingesting plastic, and this number is only increasing as plastic pollution continues to surge. “These patches are not going away,” says lead author Erik van Sebille, an oceanographer at the University of New South Wales. “The garbage patches will stay there for at least the next thousand years.” Studies show this problem is not only prominent in heavily populated areas like New York City, but also in places like Brazil. Continue reading for more information on how plastic waste is becoming a global issue, and consider these tips on reducing your own plastic consumption. — Global Animal

Scientists have found that 50 percent of all sea turtles ingest plastic.. Photo Credit: The Daily Galaxy

Inhabitat, Taz Loomans

Green turtles are already endangered, and their lot seems to be getting worse.

A new study conducted by the University of Queensland and published in the journal Conservation Biology shows that green turtles are significantly more likely to swallow plastic today than they were in the 1980s. The study found that the likelihood of a green turtle ingesting man-made trash jumped from about 30% to nearly 50% in 2012.

It also confirmed that six of the world’s seven species of sea turtles have been found to ingest debris, and all six are listed as globally vulnerable and endangered.

Plastic can be lethal to the turtles who ingest it – the debris can block their stomachs and starve them, or it can puncture their intestinal systems. Plastic can also release toxins when ingested. These chemicals may be already present in the plastics, or absorbed by the plastic while it is floating in the ocean. Qamar Schuyler, who headed the study, says “the animal may not die of that right away, but it may impact things like their reproductive cycle – and that has longer term consequences.”

Oddly, the study showed that turtles washing up with lots of plastic in their system were not more prevalent in populated areas than they were in other areas of the world. For example, stranded turtles found adjacent to heavily populated New York City showed little or no evidence of debris ingestion, while all of the stranded turtles found near an undeveloped area of southern Brazil had eaten debris. This means that the problem isn’t just a matter of local shore clean up – it requires a global solution.

“Our results show clearly that debris ingestion by sea turtles is a global phenomenon of increasing magnitude,” says the report.

I think broadly that you are right but I do think that biodegradable equivalents to plastic bags for waste disposal and food carriage need to be looked at urgently and also that the cloth nappies are not ideal for all people, there are biodegradable ones available but these need to be as cheap and effective as other disposable nappies. Whether that is done by subsidy or banning / phasing out non biodegradable ones entirely I don't know.